Gift of the Protector: Snow Angels
by Edge Feyera
Summary: Christmas is not time nor season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and kindness, to be plenteous in grace and thanksgiving, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Faith makes all things possible, hope makes all things work, love makes all things beautiful. Together, a Gardevoir and a young man will discover the magic of Christmas through company with one another.


Snow Angels

* * *

**_"A trail dusted with fresh snow is my path._**

**_Though the mesmerizing white sparkles may conceal the world below,_**

**_Though the cold breath of winter may rattle my every bone,_**

**_And though the dark woodlands may threaten to whelm me,_**

**_I'll always find a new way home with her at my side."_**

* * *

"_This is…"_

"Hmm?"

"_Look at all the whiteness outside!"_

With curious eyes, he scrambled over to the window. The whole world was awash in snow. Even from inside, he heard the wind whistling through the tall evergreens. In unison, they swayed and danced. Conducted by chilled gusts, the organic ballet playfully continued as his breaths gradually fogged the glass panel. Plumes of light powder fluffed into the air, floating off as the pines' snow crusted peaks rustled.

Placing his hands on the teak windowsill, he felt a cold draft. It was hard to tell if there was actually any cold air coming through the window or if it was merely the idea of coldness making him feel this way.

"Well…I'll be," he said softly. Being unable to tell fact from fiction disturbed him, but did not distract him from the splendor outside. And it certainly did not diminish his sense of excitement; seeing the Gardevoir at his side perceiving such natural beauty was enough to make him smile.

"_Christian, it's so beautiful!"_ said the slender Pokemon. Her each excited heartbeat radiated in resonating waves. Waves of feverish warmth, able to be felt.

"Sanaria?"

"_Hmm?"_ she asked the window, tilting her head to face him. Her petite mouth opened ajar.

Silently, he locked eyes with her. They were a lustrous cherry, with gracefully slopping eyelids. Her lengthy and dark lashes shivered as she refrained from blinking. Gazing into the Gardevoir's eyes, he became lost. What had he meant to say?

Thankfully, it took him only a moment to remember. "You remember how I told you we'd be going on an adventure?"

"_Yeah!"_ she smiled. _"Of course I do, Feyera. I wanted to go with you."_

He grinned. Perhaps he didn't want to go with her at first. And perhaps he didn't expect to be traveling with her for this long. Nevertheless, he knew one thing: it had all happened for a reason. Not a reason that could be measured or predicted, but a reason that had to be felt. Experienced.

"Haa…Well, I know that was a while ago, but when I said it I never thought we'd be seeing snow like this."

"_How?"_

He pointed at his chest and then to hers before pawing the glass beside them. "Together. I never thought this whole thing—I mean us—would last long enough…hmm, to actually see snow with one another."

"_Oh! Haha!" _She brought her hand up to cover her mouth as she laughed. _"Aw! You're upset it's lasted this long?"_ the Gardevoir said jokingly.

"No, ha ha, of course not!" he airily laughed.

"_Okay; you're sure right?"_

"Positive."

She pressed a loose lock of her mint green hair back into place. It had gotten messy while she was sitting on the sofa with him before. Replying slowly she said, _"That's…good. I'm…happy."_

"Me too. I can feel that you're happy, Sanaria," he said, acknowledging the faint glow of peachy rose emanating from her core. Her heart itself spoke to him like that. Always in colors. Always in emotions made physical.

"_I know you can."_

Taking his index finger away from the cold window, he dragged his arm lazily through the air towards her. With a light touch, he helped her to place her hair back into place. The silken, heated strands of hair felt like electricity against his palm; whilst guiding them, he let out a soft "Mmm" of acknowledgement.

She flushed like a rosette arrangement beneath her large eyes; swirls of warm colors bestowing her pale cheeks with tincture.

"There," he said placing the edge of his hand along her scalp above her right ear. Though he did not want to leave this nest of warmth, he gradually lowered his hand, taking care to tickle two of her cartilage ear clippings.

The Gardevoir smiled wildly at this. Not only was that part of her extremely tender, but the way in which he made it into one fluid motion gave her Butterfrees. With a jolt of excitement she exclaimed,_" I can't believe how pure and white it is though! It's just like magic!"_

"Yeah. Heh heh…magic; like your Psychic powers?"

"_If we could make snow that would be incredible!"_

"You think so? Some Pokemon—like Ice types—can freeze water…but this…this is really a sign of winter."

"_It is?"_ she asked, straightening her posture. She was nearly as tall as he was, and—though he was only average height—her eyes still reached nose height.

"Johto gets a fair share of snow. But in general, snow is reminiscent of the winter season as a whole."

She raised a brow from under her curly green bangs. _"The season?"_

"Like snow, lights, Christ—" he caught his breath for a second. "Wait a second…if last week we made to Mahogany Town, that was the eighteenth, and…oh wow. Isn't that something?"

"_What is, Feyera?"_

Shaking his head in disbelief he muttered, "I knew it was cold outside for this time of year, but I didn't think we'd be getting a White Christmas."

"_A White Christmas?"_

"Mmm. When it's Christmas and snowing!" The name seemed self-explanatory, but he still had to clarify for her. She still didn't understand all the human traits and customs. In fact, she was about as in the dark as Feyera was concerning Gardevoir. Though their travels had revealed much about their respective species, it was always a work in process. Unsurprisingly, there were times when streams crossed. Especially in their unique circumstances.

"_I don't get it."_

"Oh don't worry," he tried to console, "there isn't much to get besides that it's rare when it snows during Christmastime."

"_Wow, then this really is amazing!"_

He couldn't help but smile. "You think so?" the light haired man asked rhetorically.

"_Yes! Don't you, thas Feyera?"_

The young trainer gave a mild nod, "Sure is nice."

"_There are so many of them too, dancing over the white ground!"_ she said, spinning her hips to mimic the spiraling motion of the flakes. Her waist has no exaggerated curves to it; her dress' top continued into a frilly skirt, with a tapered length and split in the front.

Watching her dance lightly brought his emerald eyes to her body. "I haven't seen snow flurries this large since I was a young boy."

"_Really? How young?" _she asked eagerly before her tone dropped in worry. _"You do—I mean you can remember snow, right?"_

"*Sigh*" He took in a long breath, drawing in chilled air from the window. Biting his lip, he responded, "Of course I do."

"_That's good. It would be terrible to forget something as pretty as snow."_

"I don't want to forget," he gravely spoke. He had forgotten her. She was even prettier than something like the snow. "Sanaria?"

She faced him and beamed innocently. _"Yes?"_

No matter how many times she did that it never grew stale. It was just subtle enough to reveal her feelings. Of course, he was skilled at reading feelings, but that didn't come from spending time with a Gardevoir. Or, at least not spending time with a Gardevoir in a conventional fashion as most Pokemon trainers would. Besides being taboo, their relationship had other unique factors.

"Do you like snow?" he finally asked.

It sounded silly. Of course she liked snow! She giggled. _"Eh he! What do you mean? I love this!"_

He promptly corrected himself with a dry laugh, "Ha. I mean do you like how it looks on the ground?"

She knew what he meant right away. _"It's like a great big ballroom gown that the earth gets to wear! So enchanting! I can't even see the green of the forest!"_

"Ha, YOU would see it that way," Feyera said with a snicker. Sanaria didn't wear a great big billowing gown, but Feyera knew from the Pokedex description that her species valued elegant clothing. They usually stitched and seamed it themselves through a secret process.

"_What makes you say that?"_ she teased.

Feyera looked her over with a faint motion of his head, but dominated by his inquisitive green eyes. Her garments may have not been the way Gardevoir were depicted in the Pokemon encyclopedia, but the similarities were numerous. Her garments were a silken derivative, at least that was the closest thing he could compare it to. Because of its uniqueness, he was sure it was signature to Gardevoir alone. Her skirt and top were a creamy coconut white, with dainty fluffs of rounded wrinkles. It did not stretch far below her knees, barely touching the floor even at its longest part in the back.

"_This?"_ she asked rubbing the material along her abdomen. The garbs were capable of transferring sensation straight through. She outlined her hips through the motion; were she a human girl, she would have been considered as thin as a rail.

He raised his hand and lightly placed it on her gently sloped shoulder, noticing that one of her straps was slightly off kilter. "Maybe." With a smile, he brought it closer to her neck's base. "I think you look pretty in it."

Feeling warm inside, she quickly brought her hands up to her chest to touch the glossy rubicund heart shard emerging from a thinly cut slit in her fitted clothing, dividing her two tiny breasts. _"You…really think so?"_

Feyera flushed, knowing he'd brought her to a state of embarrassment. She still hadn't gotten over him—a human—being affectionate like that. Especially considering how they first met nearly three years ago when he was barely eighteen. But then again, nothing about their relationship was normal. To complicate it all, nothing about their deep history was pristine.

"I think so," he said adamantly. Almost as if no one would dare say otherwise.

She looked down at herself again. The cold window next to them served as a mirror, reflecting a frosted image of the Gardevoir. It took her a few seconds to really come to terms with what they were together. Though she knew what she was, a Pokemon, he made it difficult for her to see herself as purely that way. In fact, she often wondered how similar these thoughts were to Feyera's.

"_R—really?"_ she said stammering and fuddling with her dress' waistline. In warmer climates, she found it more comfortable to wear her clothing folded up. Folding was an invisible way to reduce the length of her garments; minute stitching hooks grasping the interior of the thin silken material made it shorter. Now that it was it was colder, she had unhooked the clasps causing the dress to become more elegant. By no means was it at the level of wedding ornateness, but Feyera had never seen her like this before. It made her feel slightly nervous since it was a fair deal different from when they had first met after all. Back on the islands in the Southern Sea, she'd wore more comfortable attire, a skirt that dangled only midway down her thin white leg-guard stockings.

She sighed. The concept of him being able to overcome the differences between them made her heart flutter. But there would always be restrictions. Always challenges. And always adversity. It was times like these, when she stood next to him in a safe room, that she finally felt safe. Protected. Seeing the snow outside, and hearing the noise dampened, helped encourage this security. The hotel room itself was not the Persian Suites, but it had the amenities of a small working fireplace, a granite-top kitchenette, and a set of rich cedar furniture. The aroma in the air was woodsy mixed with charcoal.

"Yeah," he assured her. "It took a long time to realize though."

"_Realize what?"_

"That we could…never mind."

Sana grappled with her hands, looking for something—anything—to hold onto. _"Tell me!"_ she pleaded.

Feyera tugged on the base of a leather vest he wore. Completely synthetic, the black material was loose and short, barely reaching past his skinny waistline. It didn't fully close either, revealing a bland neck shirt underneath through a gap about a palm's width wide. This opening had two hardy belt-like straps keep the loose fabric on his body. The ruddy sash tips matched the two dime-sized buttons each pinning down the vest's large collar, which was pointed outwards and parallel with his shoulders. The sleeves were cuffed and sealed with a metal clasp, exposing his scrawny forearms. Typically, they were covered, but he'd taken his tight nylon wrist guards off earlier when they had arrived here in order to massage his tender muscles underneath.

"That we could get along…make this work—" Feyera looked at his left wrist, inflamed with hypersensitive paleness "—Despite our differences."

"_Differences?"_ she asked sarcastically. _"I forgot how different we were…"_

A faint but dry laugh slipped from his lips. He really was different from the Pokemon in most ways save one. At least he thought. With a nod, he peered down at where her eyes had traveled.

His heart shard. A Gardevoir's heart. Buried in his chest, a constant reminder of his relationship with this Pokemon. An exact replica of her own rubicund source of life. Possessing a thin edge, the heart shard itself projected out of the navy cotton tunic he wore about a palm's distance at its furthest point. Of course, he always had to vertically snip the chest of his clothes with a pair of fabric scissors, or risk ruining his clothes when it tore thru them.

"I know it wasn't always like this…I know it didn't have to be like this, Sana. And I know it hurt you for it to be like this. I—*sigh* I didn't mean for it to happen like this—"

"—_You shouldn't hurt yourself over it," _she replied, stretching her hand out to grace the trainer's heart with the tips of her fingers. _ "Don't beat yourself up. You didn't know better. Not even I knew this would happen to you."_

"I never knew this side of life—" Feyera fought the urge to lay a hand on it "—to think…"

The piece of Pokemon anatomy was nestled between the vest's two straps, projecting straight out of his sternum bone. From there it radiated heat, projected and retrieved emotion, in perfect synchronization with his internal heart's every beat. Oftentimes he wondered how much of a hold over him it actually had.

"_Aren't you glad that you were given a chance to though? To feel life?"_

Feyera scratched his head, massaging his scalp from underneath the forest of his thick auburn hair. "Y—yeah; it's a chance for me to make right."

"_You don't have to prove anything now. I told you I wanted to be with you. You know that. You've known that since we—"_ she said, her hushed tone trailing off into empty space.

"Yeah, but I fought things for so long, Sanaria. Fought me. Fought you. To what avail?" he asked the snow outside.

"_I don't know, thas Feyera. But this is the way that it is now. And you've come such a long way in accepting it."_

Feyera laughed. He knew he wasn't the easiest person to get along with when it came to that touchy subject. She was a saint for sticking with him. But then again, what other choice did she have?

"_I still like it that you know how to laugh."_

"Y—yeah?" he asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"_Like no matter how many emotions are zipping through your head, you always have a smile that can come out."_

"You—" he puckered his lips, "—you really think so?"

"_Of course I do; why else would I tell you something like that, silly?"_

He laughed again, this time more openly. She started to laugh along with him. The entire room began to feel warmer.

"Well, now that you know my little secret," he joked, "what do you say we go outside and explore the snow outside?"

She beamed wildly and grasped his hand lovingly, _"Okay, but on one condition!"_

"What's that?" he asked, half expecting her to inquire about how cold it was and how they could stay warm.

"_You have to tell me all about Christmas, thas Feyera!"_

That was Sanaria. Always more concerned with things less practical. She was about as inquisitive as Feyera was, albeit in a different fashion. While he was an ex-Pokemon researcher often concerned with facts and statistics, she took her knowledge to learn applying it to a myriad of topics that could do nothing but expand her understanding of humanity. She was consistently fascinated by it all. And when Feyera looked at it that way, the two of them really weren't that dissimilar.

"Okay, but I don't really know too much about Christmastime, Sana," he pouted. "Never really got into the holiday…"

"_What do you mean? You just explained it! There's snow and it's extra special!"_

"I know. But there's more to Christmas than that."

He turned to face away from the window. His eyes traced the layout of the small hotel room he had recently purchased for the weekend. Though he had spent a fair deal of his savings on the place, it was still rather tiny. Must have been the Christmastime price hikes. At least it was cozy with the small number of decorations scattered about.

Sanaria put her arm on his shoulder. _"Really?"_ she asked pressing close to him.

He lost interest in the furniture and fixtures.

She smiled and nudged him with her cheek. The warmth of her flush exuded to his cheek and the soft cartilage of her ear's points nestled in his shaggy hair. He felt her give him a small peck. He proceeded to hold onto her tighter, wrapping his arms around her back.

"Really," he whispered in her ear.

Melodically, she hummed to herself. Those heartfelt pitches of noise could be felt at this close range. They were like tiny wave crests of music to his ears and body. One following another, in beautiful symmetric pace.

Touching her lips with his, Feyera scarcely managed to keep from falling into a passionate kiss. It was sweet, reminding him of crisp rose blossoms; and her lips were as tender as such a flower's petals. Like honeyed sweets, he yearned for more. The aroma of the distant tropics, the land of her origin, flooded his senses with notes of ripe hibiscus and creamy coconut. He felt her arms trace his back as their lips broke after the brief but mind-numbingly sensitive contact.

"_Mmm. Okay,"_ she said quietly straightening her posture, but not retreating.

"Yeah, but it has gotten a fair deal colder since when we arrived," Feyera admitted, his mind now thinking of the coastal weather. "Hopefully we can stay warm."

Dreamily she said,_ "Oh, I'm sure we can keep each other warm,"_ her hands interlocking with his.

There was a tingle in his nose as he thought of that. Their proximity alone made him feel heated.

"Okay. It's just that…"

"_What?"_ she asked with concern.

"Well, I wasn't ever allowed to stay out for a long time in the snow."

"_Why's that?"_

Feyera clenched his knuckles into a fist. "Oh, always something about catching cold."

Sana traced the contour of his closed hand. _"Catching a cold, from being in the cold?"_

Feyera laughed under his breath. "Yes, cold weather can make you sick. That's why it's called a cold!"

"_I know that, silly!"_ she said in feigned understanding,_ "I think it's clever, that's all!"_

"Haha! I guess, Sana, haven't you ever been in the cold weather before? Like with snow and all. It seems new to you."

"_No,"_ she rocked her head softly, _"I'm afraid I haven't. Home always had a short winter. And the islands even more so!" _

"Home…" he repeated, wondering the connotations behind that word for her.

"_Usually there was enough frost to put the flowers to sleep, but never this much at once!"_

"You'd love Snowpoint then!" he laughed.

"_Snow—point?"_ she asked, _"What…err…where's that?"_

"It's far north of this backwoods town we're in." He pointed up to mimic north. "All the way in the Sinnoh region."

"_Sinnoh?"_

"Yeah if I had a globe I could show you. But in Snowpoint it always snows, all year round."

"_A—always? So there is no springtime?"_

"Yes. They don't have spring, summer or fall."

Sanaria sighed, _"Then there aren't any flowers that can live there."_

"Um, I'm not sure, Sana. I don't know anything about the plant life there. It's like another world to me.

"…_Another world to you?"_

"Yeah." He padded the small timepiece on the table adjacent to the window. "Something I don't understand. Something I haven't experienced yet. I only know the stories."

"_What kinds of stories?"_

"Oh, you know Christmas stories."

She didn't know. Her blank expression said it all.

"They're for kids mostly." He scratched his head. "Like I don't know, one's about a plump man from Snowpoint who travels in a big red sleigh, with a Delibird at his side, delivering gifts to good little boys and girls."

"_Ta ha!"_ she chuckled.

Feyera continued, "Stantler and Sawsbuck pull his sleigh. And if you're naughty, his Torkoal dumps ash in your stocking instead of presents."

She looked down at her legs, imagining her white stockings filled with presents. _"That's such a story!"_

"Ya think so?" Feyera said with a sly smile. "I could have just made that one up!"

She grinned, knowing through their emotional tether that he was kidding. _"Gardevoir have all kinds of stories too, you know?" _

"About Christmas?"

"_No…but similar tales about gift-giving."_

"I'd like to hear about them."

"_A lot of them are written down on tablets…lexicons…delicately crafted by our ancestors."_

"Mmm."

"_I hope you can visit Home one day with me. It's beautiful there when the flowers are in bloom."_

"Don't worry, Sanaria; I'm sure we will once we're done with everything. And then we can finally relax and do what we want."

"_That sounds…nice,"_ Sana said. But she seemed upset by something. Her eyes kept dashing to and fro. Pensively.

"What is it?"

"_I was just thinking about what you told me and wondering if the Snowpoint people miss seeing flowers. They must be very sad; even if they get presents for being good."_

"Oh. Haha. It isn't only people from Snowpoint who get presents; Snowpoint's just where the myth takes place."

"_Huh?"_

"Heck, I got presents when I was little! And I lived all the way south in Saffron City."

"_You still got presents?!"_ she exclaimed. _"But how did they get to you?"_

He looked down at the hardwood floor. "Oh…well, err…sometimes parents pass along the gifts to their children according to legend."

"_Really? With a Delibird, I thought they would fly or something to you."_

He laughed, "Oh, don't be silly! That doesn't make sense!"

"_Hmm…"_ she murmured.

He could tell she was contemplating. "What is it?" he asked cautiously.

"_But without flowers…the poor people in Snowpoint…"_

"You're so compassionate," Feyera said with a smirk.

"_I can't help that!"_ she protested. _"You're empathetic too now."_

Silently he dipped his head, trying to think of any little obscure facts he could think of to comfort her. "You know Sana, I'm sure they still see the tundra's snow berry blooms. Besides, there is even special sparkling snow called 'diamond dust' that sometimes comes down from the peak of Mount Coronet."

"_Diamond dust?"_ her glowing face asked. _"That sounds so pretty!"_

"It's rare though. Like having a White Christmas here in northern Johto."

"_Wow,"_ she said rocking her head, _"I'm happy we can see the snow here. Together."_

"I know. I can feel that," he replied. The radiant heat was from her happiness after all. Happiness that came from being together. It pushed out the cold.

"_So what are we waiting for, Slowpoke?!"_ she chuckled. _"Let's go outside and see the snow!"_

"Ha ha, okay! Let me just go put on my boots!"

With a few hops over to the door, he picked up his Alterieno brand boots laying on the floor. Kneeling down on the cold floor, he slipped his feet into the black thigh-high waders and pulled on their worn, but sturdy, straps.

Sana pranced over behind him, silent as a ghost with her light strides.

By the time he had gotten them on she was next to him, with an extended arm and a grin. Taking her hand, she helped him up with a cute, _"There you go!"_

"Thanks," he told her, picking up two matching wrist guards from a polished cherry wood table next to the door. She held his bicep as he slid on the left. They were cold to the touch. He was used to having his hands perpetually warmed by them on his travels. They exposed his palm, covering his hand's top, fastened by a thin fur hoop that snuggled around his middle finger. This ring also kept a flap of dyed genuine Miltank leather secured over his knuckles.

Then he put the right one on, pulling each nylon sleeve all the way up to where his vest jacket was cuffed on his forearms. Feeling the latent pressure on his finger and tightness around his arms was a sign they were secure.

"_All set, young man?" _she asked with a laugh. Sanaria had teased him before, telling Feyera they reminded her of the stockings she wore around her legs. It didn't matter what she thought. If he was going to be outside, there was no reason to expose more skin than he had to. And besides, they were custom-made to deal with some unforeseen circumstances.

"Yeah. So, is that everything?"

"_Yep!" _she nodded. Gardevoir rarely removed their clothing, for their natural skin oils kept the fabric clean. She was usually ready.

"Okay," Feyera said, snatching the small key-chain along with his wallet. "Remember, we can't…you know…be overly affectionate."

"_I know, silly! I'm not going to throw myself on you! Te he."_

"Right. Ahaha," he laughed nervously. The thought of that gave him Butterfrees. "Will you be warm enough?"

"_You're not even dressed much warmer than me, thas Feyera. And remember, your human clothes are hardly as exquisite as mine!"_

Opening the oak door he winked at her, "Oh pardon me for not remembering how insulated you are in them."

The comment made her chuckle. Seeing that he was holding the door open for her, she bounded outside.

The air was clean and crisp. Like on an autumn evening. They could smell the snow in the air. Gusty winds blew from the valley region in the east. That must have been the Ice Path.

Sanaria cavorted down the building's steep cement steps, not even needing to hold onto the icy railing.

Feyera turned the silver key and locked up, before spinning around to see her touch snow for the first time. He held onto the bronze railing, cautiously navigating down the stairs, careful to avoid the frozen patches. Ahead the street was wide and filled with snow for as far as he could see. Even the ebony lampposts were covered in whiteness.

The buildings in this quaint little town all looked the same. All made from the same red firestone brick material, meaning a quarry was likely nearby. It seemed like a self-sustaining place to live. The roofs and eves were not very high, three stories at most in this section of town. Judging by the lack of activity, everyone was either indoors or in the town square. Cars lined the side streets, their models and emblems all hidden, making them into generic snow covered vehicles. Everything covered by the magical substance was hushed, adding to the peaceful charm.

Sanaria ran ahead of him down the sidewalk. She gracefully skipped along in the snow, finding little difficulty in navigating with the way her heel-like leg-guards allowed for dexterous placement. Each step caused her to sink up to her ankles.

"_It is so fluffy!"_ she said whist kicking some of a nearby snow bank with her leg. Like white smoke, the power plumed up past her knees.

"Heh, yeah it is!" Feyera said. "It's also fun to throw around."

"_Really?!"_ she exclaimed with delight, _"You can!"_

He watched her spin and toss more of the fine particles into the air with her narrow legs while her dress danced along the surface of the snow like an artist's delicate brush.

"Yup," Feyera said kneeling down and collecting some snow in his warm hands. Swiftly he patted it together. The snow was still falling, and the flakes were extra tiny. Perfect. Just perfect.

"_What are you doing?"_

"Oh nothing," Feyera said innocently as possible.

Apprehension ran over Sana's face. Feyera didn't need to see it. He felt it. Her emotions were transmitted directly to him, and there was nothing that he could do to stop them. At first, it had been difficult, but he had grown more accustomed to it with time. A constant nudging from linked emotions consistently traversed between the two along a fine psychic tightrope.

"_Did you drop something?"_

"Nope!" Feyera grinned. He finished packing the light snowball and raised it over his head. With a spineless fling, he chucked it at Sana.

"_HEY!"_ squeaked the Gardevoir as it plopped right next to her neck.

"Haha!" he laughed. It was funny. Mister Feyera had grown up; Mister Feyera hadn't thrown a snowball in years. Since meeting her, he'd chafed away his stuffy attitude that came from researching Pokemon for years in a dungeon-like laboratory.

"_Well—"_ Sana wiped the dusty snow off her shoulder with a flick of the wrist _"—if that's how you want to play, mister!"_

"You're on!" Feyera taunted. "I dare you to hit me!"

"_You'll be sorry!"_

Feyera sprinted a short distance away, his Alterieno boots scrunching in the snow along the way, leaving a distinct cursive "A" on every heel mark. Sliding next to a car, he held onto a nearby post and made a ninety degree turn.

"_I'm coming for you!"_ Sana shouted, rising up with a packed snowball of her own in hand. _"Watch out!"_

He turned around just in time to see her fling a snowball at him. "Woosh!" it whistled by his ear, barely striking it. The dodged snow sailed past him and hit the red bricks of a nearby building with a "Plop!" spraying a web of white in every which way.

Wasting no time after seeing that she had good aim, he knelt down again to gather more snow. Amid his rapid breaths he managed to yell out in a playful jeer, "Hah, you'll have to be a better shot than that, Sanariaaaaaaa!"

"_Pfft!"_ her psychic voice haughtily refuted.

Feyera stood up and chucked another snowball at Sana.

This time, the snow impacted on an invisible wall right in front of her. A small field barrier had blocked it!

"Hey, you can't do that!"

The snow slowly slid off the semitransparent teal crystal lattice Reflect, revealing Sana's glowing ruby eyes.

"_Aw, why not?"_ she asked as the tiny red shields over her eyes dissipated like a magical second set of eyelids.

"Cause, that's cheating!"

"_Oh! But you get to throw first?!"_ the Gardevoir smiled, _"Now, now, that doesn't seem to be very fair does it, Mister Feyera?"_

"Heh, you should have known what I was going to do; you're a psychic after all!"

"_I can't see the future silly!"_ she admitted, putting her hands on her hips and spreading her elbows in protest. _"I've told you a thousand times that it doesn't work like that! You of all people should know that by now!"_

"Ha, then that's why I've got you now!" Feyera then revealed a second snowball he had hidden in his other hand.

"_Eeep!"_ Sana cried out, putting both her hands in front of her face.

Feyera threw the ball, and it flew right on course pegging Sana's forearms.

"See isn't this fun?" he chuckled to himself. The snow had begun to fall a little more heavily, but not enough to inhibit vision. "Snowball fights!"

She wasn't about to go down without a fight. _"We'll just see about that!"_ she answered. Not wasting any time to brush her arms off, she gracefully arched down to swiftly pick up some snow in a fluid motion.

Seeing this, Feyera tried to do the same, but wound up stumbling and nearly losing his balance on the slippery walkway. Barely averting a fall he managed to scramble back to his feet, albeit maladroitly. By the time he reoriented himself, he saw her spinning on her back leg out of the corner of his eye.

The fluff of snow whizzed through the air, and he made a quick dive forward to dodge the incoming projectile. Falling into a bank of snow, the front of his coat became powdered in white. The snowball whizzed on overhead. He may have fallen into the snow bank, but at least he managed to dodge it!

"_Oh? Looks like you're all covered in snow now!"_

"Least it isn't your snow though! Haaha!"

Pushing off with his strong arm, he sprung up quickly. Just as he got to his feet, he saw Sanaria's eyes glowing again. The same way they always did when Gardevoir used their powers. It had something to do with protecting the eyes—conduits of emotion—from strain and pressure from inside the brain when relying on psychic power. It was completely involuntary for their species. He knew that fact well.

Just as he was about to ask her what was going on, he felt a cold lump nail him in the back of the head. The snow dripped down his auburn hair strands, and along the back of his neck, chilling him. He was bested.

"Hey!" he said in mock animosity, "No tricks!"

"_Tricks? All I did was loop the ball back around after I missed the first time!"_

"Well you can't do that!" he said putting both hands on his hips.

"_Sure I can, I just did, didn't I?" _

"Pah! That's not what I mean!"

"_Oh," _she tittered, her tone full of play, _"aww you poor thing! Are you feeling jealous because you don't know how to do that yet? Tell you what, if you're good I'll even teach you how! It'll be like a Christmas present!"_

Feeling plucky, Feyera boasted, "Ha…I don't need to know your battle repertoire."

"_I think you should." _She wagged a finger in the air, and placing her other hand behind her on her hip. _"It's your repertoire too after all!"_

He looked down at his chest. "My repertoire…?" he mutely repeated through bated breath.

"_Besides, if you want to go around pretending I'm your Pokemon then you'll need to at least act like a trainer who knows his Pokemon's techniques. It should be easy for you!"_

"I'm a fine trainer as it is!" insisted Feyera, "I got some badges, got some Pokemon, got some friends in high places, and—hey—I even got a Pokemon that doesn't ever leave my side."

"_Aww, that's sweet,"_ she said through wincing eyes.

"Yeah but all of this needs to stay secretive till I find a way to—"

"_Oh no! Look out!"_ the Gardevoir yelled, pointing behind him at the tall brick building.

"Huh?" Defensively, Feyera turned around to where she was looking, but nothing was there save for drawn purple curtains behind white shutters. "What…?"

"Splat!" went something behind him. Then he felt a cold smack of snow on his coat.

"_Teehee! Thas Feyera, I can't believe you actually fell for that one!"_ Sana was laughing hysterically, _"Tahaha! That's only the oldest trick in the book!"_

Shamefully, Feyera brushed the snow from his jacket and sighed. "Phew…ha…you got me."

"_Told you I'd get you!"_

"Mmm," he exhaled thinking, _yeah, you got me in more ways than one_.

The thick cloud of smoke coming out of his mouth hung in the air for a few seconds. Watching it obscure the eves and village doors in foggy murk, he took a few moments to reflect. He was always paranoid. Of being caught, of being imprisoned, of having his body experimented on, there were a thousand bad things that could happen at any given moment. Not only was he on the hit list for some of the most dangerous criminals, but he was also breaking some of society's rules regarding his relationship with a Pokemon. Granted, it wasn't black and white; it wasn't a human and Pokemon relationship due to the Pokemon heart imbedded in his chest, but any passerby would see it that way. He was sure they'd be quick to judge. And anyone seated in a position to decide whether it was right or wrong would certainly not be siding with him considering his mottled past. The facts were: he was a young man romantically involved with a Pokemon through a history they shared. A history marred with guilt and absolution. A past he could hardly remember, but never forget…

But it had led them here. To this. He didn't want to give anyone a reason to take it away.

Like a battered, beleaguered adventurer, he stumbled over towards Sana, careful to avoid tripping in the snowdrifts.

She walked over towards him, contrasting with her graceful, evanescent strides. Sanaria always gave off the impression of being nimble and free. Especially in the white snow which complemented her pale face and dress in a display of eloquence. Feyera was hardly an unbiased source, but what he saw in her was special. It meant something to him. For her to warrant sentimentality, for her to be able bring that suppressed part out of him, how could she not be extraordinary?

They hugged in a smooth embrace, Feyera putting his arms around her shallow shoulders, and Sana tightening hers against his narrow waist.

"_Sorry for tricking you."_

"Don't be so puerile! Ha, I threw the first snowball at you!"

"_It's a lot warmer when we're closer together isn't it?" _She rubbed the back of his coat with her hands. He sighed in response.

"Yeah," he said. He couldn't deny it. It might've been body temperatures, it might've been the first law of thermodynamics at work, but right now it was exactly what it felt like: a hug. All the research, all the science didn't matter. That was an enormous change for the young man. His dogmatic perspective had shifted.

"_Don't you like it?"_

A snowflake landed against her cheek, instantly melting into a glossy drop of water.

"Yes, of course I like this."

"_I—I'm happy, thas Feyera."_

"I'm happy too, Sana," he said pecking her on the cheek. She flushed involuntarily and squeezed him closer to her.

"…_Good,"_ she said, running a hand up the back of his scalp, playing in his thick damp hair.

Feyera ginned and rubbed his cheek against hers. The warm ear cartilage on the sides of her face tickled him; they were always soft and delicate, even when the temperature was cold enough to transform a Castform.

He yearned for more, but he knew this wasn't the place. They were in the middle of an unplowed road on an unmarked street. Even if no one was around in sight, there was no telling what prying eyes observed them from the comforts of the brick houses.

"S—Sana…"

She felt his suppressed urges and quietly backed off before it would become more difficult than it had to be for the young man.

"_I…know; it's your human instincts."_

Feyera exhaled, "Thanks. J—just not right here. Not right now."

"_Later?"_

"Later." Feyera gave her a pearly smile before unveiling his hand from a glove.

Quietly looking at him, she instinctively clutched it. Together their hands frolicked for a few seconds, as thoughts and emotions were conveyed through the sense of shared touch. The snow spinning around and around, dancing on their exposed skin brought numerous other feelings to surface. It was like being trapped together with her in a private snow globe, filled to the brim with spiraling snowfall, mystifying and beautiful.

Feyera gripped her hand and said gently, "C'mon, let's go."

"_You're right." _Then she squeezed back saying,_ "We don't want to catch cold."_

Together they laughed mutedly. The pair walked further down the lane at a relatively slow pace, sharing a lovely union of warmed hands and warmed hearts.


End file.
